Review: Maybelline Colossal Volum'Express

Hey everyone!

Today I am giving a “review” on Maybelline Colossal Volum’Express Waterproof mascara. The reason I put quotes around review is because I don’t like giving negative reviews, so instead I’ll call this… “My thoughts on.” There, that sounds better! Onto my thoughts!

First, the packaging. It’s very pretty, I love the yellow and metallic turquoise, very eye-catching. It’s functional and attractive. One point for Maybelline!

Ooo, pretty packaging!

 Now let’s talk about the brush. It’s a little fatter than normal, not quite as big as CoverGirl LashBlast or anything, but not as skinny as, say, L’Oreal Voluminous. The bristles themselves are average length, but wiry. Let me explain- They’re skinny, and also kind of twisty. Here, look at a picture and see for yourself. It gathers product and deposits it in kind of a speckly way. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but there are little spheres of mascara on the ends of my lids.

As for the actual mascara? Well I already told you about the speckly part, but the length it gives is pretty good, as well as the volume. My lashes are noticeably longer, as well as slightly thicker along the base. However, by the end of the day my lashes are stringy- they’re clumped together and not at all flattering looking. Maybe this is just me, but this is really a big turn off for me, as well as a deciding factor. The waterproof-ness is also debatable- it doesn’t run off my face if my lashes get wet, but if I rub my eyes it smears underneath my eyes and I get a raccoon look. 

Bare lashes

Two coats of Maybelline Colossal Volum'Express

Ick- spider-lashes!

 All in all, I don’t think I would buy this again, and I’m glad this was given to me so I didn’t have to use my money. Some of you might have better experiences, but if you want my opinion, I’m going to have to say skip. IMO, there are better mascaras out there worth a try.  

Has anyone tried this? What are your experiences with this mascara? I’m also thinking about trying one of the Maybelline XXL Pro mascaras; Jamie of Maquilagem Masstige really likes this line. What other mascaras do you recommend? Leave a comment below!

~Gabrielle~

Review: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation

Hey everyone!

I have been testing out Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Powder for the past two months or so, and I have come to some conclusions, chief among them: This might just be my Holy Grail foundation.

I love the texture of this- it’s a mousse, so it feels really smooth and spreads easily on my face. It’s a cream (or mousse?)-to-powder formula, so there isn’t a need to put powder on over this, unless you have a super oily skin type.  It gives my skin a smooth look while mattifying my oily spots.

Another thing I love about this is the coverage it gives. It covers minor blemishes and somewhat cancels out dark circles. For anything else, you will need to apply a concealer. (I have this in Light Nude 4, which is a perfect match for my skin.) Lasting power is also pretty formidable. I wore this for about 8 hours (a little longer than my school day) and there were very minimal oily spots on my forehead only.

Dare I say it? This is my new favorite foundation and my Holy Grail. At least until the next one comes along.

28 August- Unfortunately I deleted my pictures that I took with/without foundation. I will have those up tomorrow, so be sure to check back for those. 

Stock image from maybelline.com

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think? What’s your current favorite foundation?

~Gabrielle~

I Give Up.

Hey everyone!

I am talking about Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara, which I purchased about two weeks ago and have been using since then. I had never heard anything about it, but decided to try it anyways, and besides I had a $2.00 off coupon. Well, let me tell you, I am now wishing I had gotten the Max Flash mascara because quite frankly this mascara just does not cut it. I normally would spend a little more time with it before reviewing it but I just don’t like it that much. However, if this changes, you guys will be the first to know!

Oh yes, the packaging is so cute, with a shiny purple tube and an embossed crown on top (sound familiar? What other Rimmel product looks like that? Answer below!). The brush… well, I can’t really describe it so let me just show you:

This is a “triple plump” brush for “fuller curvier lashes.” To me this just seems like a gimmick because it really doesn’t seem to help.

Nekkid lashes!

How about the formula? I think this is an ok formula. Sexy Curves is a little on the thin side, but most mascaras tend to thicken after a month or so, so I’m not too hung up on that. But it does dry quickly, and once it does you can’t go back and add some without forming unilash. That’s a little inconvenient for me, because I usually do one coat on one eye, then go to the other eye, and repeat until I get the desired effect. But now I do one eye at a time, which throws me off in the morning.

And the lengthening and volumizing? It gives just a little extra something, very natural looking and nothing dramatic. This isn’t what I was looking for; I like a lot of length and volume. It does better in the latter category, but even that isn’t saying much. It's just not impressive.

3 coats of Rimmel Sexy Curves

Now that all that is over, I have to go over my #1 complaint- smudging. Even after it has dried (and formed unilash) if you blink this mascara will usually leave little smudges on your eyelid. This is quite annoying, especially if you’ve already got your eyeshadow on. But the weirdest thing is that I noticed smudging right above my lashline after applying Sexy Curves. I think this is due to the bulbous parts of the brush hitting there while putting the mascara on, but I could be wrong. It’s really annoying though because it’s hard to wash off, and especially annoying if you’ve already applied the rest of your eye makeup.

All things considered, this not a good mascara and definitely not worth repurchasing. It only gives minimal length and volume, smudges easily, doesn’t give curvier lashes, and is just plain annoying. I think the only good thing it does is help your lashes grow, because of added proteins. But let’s face it, I can just use L’Oreal’s lash serum for that and not have to deal with it. My advice? Stay far away from this mascara.

Have you tried this mascara, and if so, what are your thoughts? Any mascaras you think I should try? Comment!

~Gabrielle~

PS The packaging is very reminiscent of their own Moisture Renew lipsticks!

 PPS Is anyone else really excited for Shark Week on Discovery Channel? 

NOTD + Review: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

Hey everyone!

Tonight's my last night in Florida, and while I'm a little sad I can't wait to go home again. But I have had a blast being here so it's all good :)

Anyways, I know I said I was going to do a haul but due to packing I had to settle for an NOTD so I figured I review it at the same time. I'm talking about Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish in Green with Envy.

Firstly, the color: I love bright colors and this is probably one of the best SH lines for it. I picked Green with Envy because it's a really unusual apple green creme that I don't have in my collection. So far so good!

Now, how does it apply? It has a nice formula that's on the thick side. It's not bad at all to apply, except when you wipe the excess on the side of the bottle, there is still some product left hidden on the brush! It's quite annoying, but I just make sure to be extra careful in wiping it off.

Now for the last part- how well it wears!!! In my humble opinion, this is a great long-lasting nail polish. It really wears well (the second pic below is after day 5 of my mani). There was only minor tip wear and maybe two chips. And this was without a top coat, so probably it would do even better!

So here's my overall view: If you're looking for a long-lasting nail polish option, for a good price ($2.50 at Walmart), with a nice color selection,  check out this line! I don't think you will be disappointed. Probably around a 4/5 if I had to do a rating.

Sorry for the briefness, but I'm quite tired and I want to go to sleep. I will post the haul tomorrow when I'm at home, promise! Until then- have you tried this polish yet? Are there any drugstore polishes you think I should try/review? Let me know and comment!

~Gabrielle~

Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette Review + EOTD

Hey everyone!

It feels good to be here in Florida, though it is very hot. I have a spare moment to blog, so I thought I'd review my WnW Color Icon palette in Pride.

First of all, I had heard everyone rave about this product- it's lasting power, pigmentation, blendability, softness, on and on and on. So I put it on my wishlist and picked it up at Walgreens last week. First, the pigmentation- well, the blogging community was right about that. One swipe of the eyeshadow produces a highly pigmented color, and I often pick up too much on my brush! Which is a good thing, btdubs. So A+ for that! (I stand by my statement that the mattes are more pigmented than the shimmers, but both are excellently colored.)

Next, the blendability and softness. Not much to say on these areas, except, well, this palette has them. They aren't chalky or dry at all, and they blend easily which makes them ideal for creasework. Check!

Now for the last category- lasting power. This is the palette's one flaw. Every blog I have read that had reviewed these said the eyeshadows in these palette lasted all day, even without a primer. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me, and I don't even have particularly oily lids! These lasted about 3 hours without primer and about 4 with. I'm not sure why it's only me, but I will keep working with these and see if I can't figure out a way to make these last longer.

All things considered, these palettes are an excellent bargain and I want to buy the other 3 in the collection, because for the price, this can't be beat. I recommend these to people who want pigmented eyeshadows in a mix of colors that are easy to apply.

Now here's the look I made using the right side (shimmers) of this palette for a friend's party the other day.

I used Too Faced George and Weezie for all over the lid, then the green in the crease. I applied the blue above the green and along the lashline then connected it. I finished with a hint of brown eyeliner on the top lashline and Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara.

What's your take on this line of eyeshadows? Comment!

~Gabrielle~